DIY Les Paul Guitar Kit (Part 6: Wiring the Pickups)

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[@100chuckjones]

while im not big in to these kits, there is no denying how good your wiring tutorial is and how helpful it can be for some that haven't done this before. good job explaining everything,

[@wwflyfisher]

Absolutely brilliant 'how to". Could not be clearer. Huge thanks from me!

[@ItsFredYen]

+Derek Hayes Glad I could help!

[@azgardian6783]

fred yen this is awesome! just got a totally wreck of a guitar from my local guitar shop for free. this helps so much thank you!

[@anthonykelpine9477]

Thank you. I've been intimidated by wiring Les Paul's for about 10 years now. This is the most simple and straightforward "how to" video I've ever seen on wiring them. Nice build.

[@guitar_fed]

The best and most clear wiring explanation I've ever seen in years of KZbin! Thanks a lot!!!

[@sicstringerman]

Probably the best diy series I have ever watched. I am so ready to order my first kit. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@squilky]

Wow this is by far the best soldering video I've seen. Well lit, sharply focussed and your instruction is very easy to follow. Thank you so much.

[@matttrudell7796]

TheBassgasm What would you do differently? I'm getting one of these kits and I'd like to avoid any beginner mistakes...

[@jeffsmith8467]

OMG!!! You just helped me get through an hour and a half of the quarantine and it has been the highlight of my last three weeks! I am definitely going to attempt this build as you made it so clear and easy to follow. Thanks and I hope that you are safe and happy.

[@kakman1958]

I've had a kit sitting in the shed for about 5 years and a COVID lockdown inspired me to finally get it out. The wiring was the final piece of the puzzle and these instructions were simple, clear and easily the best I've found. I'll be tackling it today thanks to the video. The kit came with shielding but I'm not sure whether I should be using it OR using a bridge wire. Many thanks!

[@rick_vloon]

you are the only guy on youtube who clearly explains how to wire a guitar, good job

[@JuanLega]

ok....it would had been nice to see the final product.

[@xvxdbxvx2915]

Today I overhauled my Epiphone Les Paul Studio and relied on this video for the majority of the work. I replaced the jack, 3 way toggle, 2 humbucker pups, pots, caps, wiring, and tuners (Grover locking). This was my first time doing any invasive work on one of my guitars and this video was extremely useful in helping me succeed. However, I did modify some techniques and changed some of the procedure: I tinned all connections that weren't already factory tinned. I also took some shortcuts with grounding by combining the green wire pot grounds and right lug grounds on each pot into a single solder joint (on each pot). I had a few issues with getting solder to adhere to the back of the pots and wish I would have sanded them first, but everything still went well and it was a pretty clean job. My guitar also already had a ground wire from the bridge bushing so I included that as part of the ground circuit. Also, apparently if you do decide to sand the back of the pots it should be done outside of the cavity and be sure clean up any loose metal particles as you don't want those floating around inside. Thanks Fred. BTW we get more than just a power chord at the end of this video; there's also a slide bendy after the power chord.

[@danosper2953]

Dude... I have watched a lot of video's lately but yours is the best by far. Its practically a course in wiring. Thanks heaps Fred, your a legend.

[@wildbillhackett]

Actually, the way you're wiring it is the modern method the Gibson has been using since around 1960 and is exactly why 50s Les Pauls sound so much better. This method loses highs in a big way. They did it like this because the original wiring would cause the volume of one pickup to drop dramatically if the other was turned down even slightly when the pickup selector switch was in the middle position, and turning one pickup volume down when both were on would cause both pickups to lose all their volume. However, the benefits in tone from the original wiring was worth losing some flexibility. In vintage wiring you would have the left lug of the tone pot wired to the center lug of the volume pot. This works well on a Tele also. If you go with vintage wiring, when you back off the volume knob, you'll clean up the sound while retaining the highs.

[@NolanZewariligon]

50s wiring is very interactive, and unpractical. 60s wiring with a nicely tuned treble bleed mod is much better. I personally prefer G&L PTB wiring modded for 4 knobs. So the signal chain is: each pickup goes into a volume pot (with treble bleed), into the 3 way switch, into master treble cut (low pass filter, regular tone knob) into master bass cut (high pass filter).

[@SDCromwell]

Awesome tutorial, and I feel like I could complete a kit like this even with no electrical experience! Wonderful job, thank you very much!

[@ItsFredYen]

welcome!

[@user-ts6ty5ji8n]

Thanks for your review.....I have something good for you on crypto

[@user-ts6ty5ji8n]

+ 1 4 2 4 2 0 9 9 3 2 1 ...... contact me

[@jakeworth78]

Thanks for making this video; it was very clear and helpful! With your assistance, I wired my first guitar. A few tips I picked up in the process: learn how to tin your wires and your solder tip, and make sure you do that. A clamp of some kind (alligator clip) frees up a hand in that process. Don’t forget the bridge ground; it’s a wire running from under the bridge to the pots. Lightly scuff sand the tops of the pots; it helps the solder flow onto the pot. Be careful soldering near the wires; it’s easy to burn through them, or the wood of the guitar. Thanks, Fred!

[@robpatershuk]

You're awesome man. Clear cut instructions and excellent overall communication. Because of you, my Les Paul's wiring is getting the consistent fix it needs. Perhaps not your focus, but definitely applicable for those of us fixing up old guitars. Thank you!

[@burnsgrund]

One step was missed. Pre-tin your connections and wires before soldering. Makes for a better soldering job avoiding a cold solder joint. Also be careful you don't touch the iron to the wire next to the pin you're soldering.

[@kjemradio]

And prevents the wire strands from breaking free potentially causing a short.

[@winminhtwe3395]

Where is the wire from the bridge saddle?

[@1989truck]

where are your videos posted showing the correct way ?

[@svensvensson8186]

6 episodes and we get 3 seconds of the guitar playing a power chord... sigh..

[@Cleavatr0n]

Sven Svensson Right? Like wtf

[@timhoneycutt3138]

Sven Svensson he probably was too lazy to intonate it for a proper demo

[@K1k1m4ro]

lol

[@Tharindu87]

Glad you got the key takeaway of the video xD

[@TheForce_Productions]

Without wires there's no music? 😝

[@taokichavez9319]

This is by far the best wiring tutorial ever! Nicely done man, thanks for sharing

[@fahdchoudry7763]

Ha Ha. Watched this 2 years ago and just watched again today. Still very impressed with your work on this guitar. Great Job. Hope you are still enjoying the guitar

[@janoskians2yolo776]

I'm getting the same kit for my birthday and all the vids are gonna help a lot

[@ItsFredYen]

Glad I could help. Have fun!

[@janoskians2yolo776]

cheers man

[@milkydanny8316]

how did it go?

[@sugarandsaltrestobar9327]

dude you have to make a video of the guitar. Play it! we wanna hear it. pleeeease lol

[@TheChikyChiky]

Very nice video on how to do a clean install of pick up wiring. I really do appreciate the time that was taken on making an informative video that is easy to follow, clear and precise. Most importantly, it's presented in an educational style. There's too many that make people feel uneducated or that it's too hard.

[@jpjamesboner1]

before any of you try this, please learn to solder correctly. every one of this guy's solders were cold solder and will create problems...

[@fellow026]

Do you mean because he's moving the wire too much right after applying the solder? Is the solution just to keep it still for longer?

[@jpjamesboner1]

David 666 you should never need to touch the solder to the iron. heat the connector with the iron while applying the solder to the connection. let the connector melt the solder. just letting the solder melt over top of the connection makes for an unstable connection.

[@daniels1293]

Jasper James well I always touched my solder right under the tip of the iron because I've melted so many components trying to solder like that,but yeah his solder joints weren't very good

[@Duffett413]

Touching the solder in between the tip and the part being soldered is okay to make a small bridge between the two. This will cause a greater heat transfer from the soldering iron to the item being soldered (especially using the narrow tip he used), then move the solder to the other side to finish. However, soldering is 90% prep and 10% of just performing the action. All work pieces should be cleaned first. A quick way is just use an eraser on the areas, followed by using 90% (or higher) isopropyl alcohol. This has never failed me, and is what I do for high reliability soldering.

[@matthorner35]

Jasper James NEVER let the connector melt the solder, heating the unit you're connecting causes potential damage under heat stress, the while idea of a soldering iron is to allow connections like this, there is no such thing as 'cold soldering'.

[@rockriff8889]

I think you should have a Ground wire from the Bridge tail piece bushing ..Thats normally the case to ground the strings...

[@chrisvenable5218]

I was wondering when that part was coming in

[@mgclark46]

​@@chrisvenable5218 The tailpiece and tremolo grounds are more of a Fender thing, and, I think, a single coil thing. It is meant to reduce noise. Humbuckers don’t have that problem. You’ll notice that shielding was not considered either.

[@alexcorona]

@@mgclark46 my Epiphone les Paul studio had both a grounding cable and shielding paint....I bought it new in sealed box at GC.

[@chrisfuller96]

@@mgclark46 100% wrong.

[@mgclark46]

I don’t know what I was thinking and I can’t fix my comment@@chrisfuller96

[@gazzpazzer]

One of the best instructional videos I've watched on any subject. Excellent presentation.

[@IPushHard]

There can only be one "best", and this is it. The best video series on building a DIY guitar. Ive never seen better...and Ive looked. Thanks for the great Videos.

[@rolandedrummer9723]

No ground to the tailpiece or bridge post?

[@ayungauk]

there forget to do that..haha..

[@glassbox7761]

That guitar doesn't have the needed hole. A total fail.

[@mgclark46]

@@glassbox7761 The tailpiece and tremolo grounds are more of a Fender thing, and, I thing, a single coil thing. It is meant to reduce noise. Humbuckers don’t have that problem. You’ll notice that shielding was not considered either.

[@didodelima]

Where is the finished product?

[@fredsantos2114]

Fred thanks a bunch dude! My wife surprised me with my 1st Gtar kit for my bday. It came with no directions and a crappy schematic I found was wrong after seeing your video. After soldering the 20+ solder joints and struggling through final assembly for hardware I plugged in and everything sounded great other than the making bridge adjustments which I just tweaked watching other videos. FYI I am a solder instructor and one recommendation is to tin all the wire and clean and tin tip for each joint. Great instructions, Thanks again!

[@KevinORourke25]

THE best How to vid series I have seen on you tube. Fantastic work. Kevin

[@philfyphil]

Tip: If you score the pot body first, the solder will take to it like s**t to a blanket :-)

[@HASTN]

Most potentiometers have pre tinned backs nowadays. Can't say for sure on these Chinese pots. Probably pot metal.

[@usefulvidiots7869]

"shit to a blanket"? WTF dude, where are you from.

[@larryhind2947]

The reason you need the bridge grounded is for safety. If something go's wrong with your amp an ungrounded bridge/strings can kill you. All you need to do is take a wire from a ground on a pot and connect it to the the bridge.

[@olyafateeva8758]

***** interesting right?

[@larryhind2947]

***** On a factory made Gibson LP the bridge is grounded, it's a simple thing to look it up on the internet to see how its done. Look this up kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKPTlIWujZ2kZ6s hope it helps.

[@mrmurph5046]

***** A problem with these kits. I drill from the control cavity to the bridge post. It's necessary for noise as much as safety.

[@theArchive1O]

Do I have to solder the ground wire to the bridge? or just solder the ground wire to the pot and then lead it up the drilled hole to the bridge

[@larryhind2947]

theArchive1O No need to solder. Just be sure that the bridge makes good contact with the ground wire and yes you do need to solder the ground wire to the pot. Hope that helps.

[@PShepdog]

Great job man. Thank you. I found pieces of an electrical guitar I finally got around to putting together and been stuck on the wiring for about a week. You made it simple.

[@danieldl3078]

Bro your video helped me bring my old SG guitar back to life, you are a master! Keep uploading these types of videos 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@UmaraiL]

is it me or do the capacitors look Delicious

[@GoogleAccount-cj6gy]

So essentially, it's still a Chibson?

[@zeeceefourovksk2837]

At least it gives any DIYers the satisfaction of building our own guitar from such kits.

[@GoogleAccount-cj6gy]

ZeeCeeFour OvKSK I meant no ill-will, I was just stating the obvious. If I had the talent and time, I'd consider building one from a kit. Nice job Fred!

[@daddski1]

lol only if he adds gibson to the head

[@georgethomas9436]

I really liked this series of building a DIY guitar kit. It really shows how really, anybody can build a guitar. Thanks for sharing.

[@jacobbeard8428]

cant tell you HOW HELPFUL this video has been. thank you.

[@Pypamid]

You really, really need to learn how to solder properly. Cold joints everywhere

[@wolflahti412]

Absolutely. Proper technique is heating the wire and component/connection and then applying the solder to those, *not* to the tip of the soldering iron. The solder will flow in the direction of heat, making a firm mechanical and electrical connection. A mechanical connection might look okay, but it is not enough.

[@traylorillo]

F

[@ItsFredYen]

F?

[@banfield1368]

F to pay respects

[@williamking8033]

A very clear and concise how-to video. He also has a lot of great timesaving advice as well!

[@tonyneill4388]

Hi Fred. Genuine thanks from me. Just made an electric guitar sound first try following your instructions. Only added the earth people were talking about as a precaution but absolutely first class instructions. My solders are worse than Fred's for those detractors out there but they do the job. If they come apart like some people say I will be a better solderer when I come to fix them!

[@evgenyfavorsky422]

You have some mistakes in soldering and gluing. Not terrible but unprofessional.

[@joejack6576]

+Evgeny Favorsky post your build

[@evgenyfavorsky422]

+Joe Jack there a lot of videos about correct gluing and soldering. My video will be too useless to make it.

[@biggin92191]

+Evgeny Favorsky I was wondering where the pro would be.

[@evgenyfavorsky422]

Phillip Betts far away from youtube comments

[@zStarklStudiosInc]

+Phillip Betts I see you dislike my food. You are not a chef, so you cannot judge it. I was wondering where the chef would be.

[@flagmuffin1221]

"Sol-der" mate, not "sodder" ;)

[@dojix96]

Both are correct, depends on country. Supposedly, "sodder" is the original pronunciation.

[@flagmuffin1221]

The rest of the world cares, sooo... To me it sounds like "Sod off", which is what I say to you.

[@nerfcplolster]

flagmuffin1221 here take notes out of 3 people only you cared most of the world does not care

[@Ndlanding]

420 Weed 666 Oddfuture I kind of care. "Sodder" gets on my tits.

[@tyler_bt3326]

Ndlanding I second this

[@pvaughn6087]

You did a great job of presenting. You were Clear and easy to understand. You didn't keep repeating yourself. You expressed yourself without foul language. AND ... you did a great job with the build. Thank you.

[@bluzzjazz]

Hey Fred, just came across your tutorial doing a search on LP neck angles. Have had a build sitting in limbo since I stained it. I'm motivated to finish it now. Great job!

[@Bob-tp3nx]

Great tutorial. I have a old 70's Les Paul copy that my great uncle left me when he died and I had been meaning to re-wire the whole thing because it needs it. This will be my guide and will save me a couple hundred dollars.

[@tdlewis103]

God job Fred. The guitar looked and sounded great. I loved the wiring tutorial. You made a complex job look easy!

[@smilleur]

That end result made this entirely worth it. Glad it worked out dude, ya did damn good

[@eddieness03]

My kit came today . After watching your videos a few times I got this . Thanks again . You made it Really easy

[@ToolMetrix]

This is such a great video. Super helpful. Thank you, Fred!

[@cuttheloop]

Likely the best explained wiring how to's on the net. Well done Fred.

[@c.chan2003]

This is way more easier than other tutorials. Everything was explained very clear and this video was so helpful.

[@TVsBen]

THIS IS SO AWESOME. I'm just learning that you can buy DIY kits to build a guitar. I'm definitely going to jump in on this now that I have the space and your guides.

[@kenalverson9755]

Fred, You did an awesome job showing us how to hook everything up. Thanks for your help! 👍

[@dakotabartlum8715]

Great video! In the midst of my first guitar build and I will be using this video as a close reference! Thanks man!

[@randomboy2ndst]

You are honestly the biggest help and your DIY guitar is so amazing!

[@JohnCranberry23]

Best wiring video I've seen so far. Thanks for actually explaining things in understandable detail. I.m making a electric guitar btw.

[@cwocodile3902]

Bought some hardware from china - ended up stripping all the wires and starting from scratch following this video. Worked brilliantly - thanx fredyen.

[@andrewvitale2700]

Being a novice with electronics I found the wireing part daunting! But you actually saved me a trip to some shady guitar guy. Thank you so so mutch.

[@Lando4534]

ONLY downside of this video is that I didn't watch it BEFORE ordering my "Pre-Wired" kit from Mojotone. The Wiring schematics provided online are still confusing. This video makes it 1000x easier to understand how all of the electrical components are wired in a guitar. Thank you Fred Yen. This video is great. I don't understand why/how anyone would give this video a "thumbs down". lol

[@troutmaskbob]

Great series of tutorials on the Les Paul build. I've been wondering how good these kits really were. Now I think I'm ready to take the plunge. And your cat cracked me up. Thanks.

[@cuttheloop]

+Jon Thorne Recently finished my kit. So far, the only complaint I have about them. The pickups could be marked as to which are which and the tuners are complete garbage. If you are doing one of these kits, go ahead now and spend the money on quality tuners, and toss the included set.

[@fictionuk]

Brilliantly concise, to the point and simplified in a way that a child could quite easily understand. Again, brilliant. In actual fact im about to buy one of those with the pre-shaped headstock from here in the UK. Its got a zebrawood veneer so the staining process in your previous vid is exactly what I needed.

[@FastNorman]

'Buddy' of mine rewired my Les Paul back in the 70s, got the wires all mixed up and the bridge pickup has never worked since! Thanks Fred I will use this video to finally fix that up!

[@curtiscassidy5132]

Thanks for the very descriptive video, i just got this same kit and i didn't realize how easy it was!

[@robertglare9019]

excellent, you explain what needs to be done in a very clear way, well done

[@ianmaynard6481]

Really enjoyed the vids Fred .Guitar looks amazing .

[@mattbooth92]

Thanks for this, got my guitar fully re-wired following this guide. Super clear and helpful.

[@duffgen62]

I have just watched all of the video's. You are a very gifted teacher and explained each step in simple to understand language. Well done.

[@A_RayChan_Joint]

best tutorial I've seen yet. I'm looking to upgrade my switch, pots, jack and humbuckers. Wish me luck as I bought pots harness on Amazon so hopefully just need to reSolder the switch, humbuckers and jack back on no need to mess with the pots. Hopefully it'll work.

[@shanemahler6830]

I just got this same kit, I had other ideas for the finish but I'll be copying yours, the blue looks great with the black hardware. My fourth build but I know I would have given up on the DIY builds without excellent videos to help. Thanks for the posts!

[@rokkimason4199]

This is the BEST how- to on pickup and switch wiring. Thank you again sir!!!!!

[@williamdougie6213]

great video thank you. the soldering/wiring tutorial was fantastic and easy for a beginner to learn such as myself.

[@joellovejoy7009]

Thanks excellent help made a nice double cut .The wiring video was a great help. As was the dyeing toutorial. I have numerous guitars but it was fun building one. I may do a couple more for fun and give away as gifts.

[@GGar87]

Awesome video been looking for a video that shows that shows easy wiring process for ages funnily fixed my old guitar thank you and definitely think I'll be ordering a DIY kit guitar looks awesome love the colour

[@rokkimason4199]

Nice! Thanks for showing how this is properly done. Now I feel confident enough to do all my wiring properly!!

[@unvisible805]

this is exactly what im going to do this summer.. i was wanting to pick up a cheap epiphone special ii, but this is way nicer and you can customize it to however you like! im even going to go with the black and blue ink finish cuz i cant believe how beautiful that came out!

[@a.k169]

Thats the only really helpfull video about guitar wiring on youtube ,thanks for clearing thing up

[@rfilianogmailcom]

THANK YOU!! you explained it very simple and straight. All other videos are confusing.

[@ItsFredYen]

Yes I do. You have to set up the guitar's action by adjusting the bridge and truss rod. Once its done and settled in, I have to say its definitely worth it. Not only fun to build but you get a good sounding guitar for the price. Don't forget that you can upgrade many of the parts (ie pickups, bridge, tuners, ect...) if you want to make it even better.

[@rancoreweed]

Hello friend thank you very much it is difficult to find a video as explanatory as yours, I am from Brazil and do not have many related subjects or someone who explains your video equally Thank you for the video !!! Continue with your work :)

[@lestilarnold4758]

This was freaking awesome. Glad I watched them all. Now to just order the kit and get er done!

[@InterWebGuy99]

You really helped me out with this video. Thanks for taking the time to put it up!

[@Kineticartist]

great video most helpful to my son and I upgrading our Jay Turser Les Paul

[@Toby-WanKenobi]

Hi Fred - you're videos are so good that I have an excellent idea of how to replace some pickups fro my Paul. Very informative! THanks!

[@hym.921]

thank you to guys like you who share your knowledge so i and others can enjoy our guitars.

[@gallochannel652]

thank you very much ive done it with my lespaul guitar and the results was great

[@ikeushighwater5727]

So Glad I found this tread..Thgis ved is giving me the confidence for when I get that far with my kit.

[@teraflux1988]

This video is really simply to understand how it works. Thank you very much for your great tutorial.

[@wadeolder7193]

Really great detailed video. Nice clean work. I was going to buy a pre-soldered kit but now I just need a better solder iron. Thanks.

[@blackfender100]

Great Job Fred thanks for posting Enjoyed and Learned

[@ItsFredYen]

Thanks! I'll see you on the next build!

[@jamesbutterson426]

THANKS FOR THE EASY TO FOLLOW INSTALL LESSON. AND beautiful guitar.

[@brewmusic58]

Thanks for this fantastic video. Clear, concise step by step explanations and visuals.

[@turdscarsdale7260]

I just finished an SG kit using these tutorials, totally sweet.

[@Dantotherivertosilenceme]

What a great video. Great instructions very clear

[@paulvandijk2204]

Very usefull videos, great job Fred!! Thumbs up!

[@bobbyfonts3486]

So helpful. Thank you for sharing this stuff!

[@jeffreyzimmer869]

You should build the ES-335. I purchased the kit and have no idea on how to wire it. Very informative video on the Les Paul kit, and I love the finish! I think I found my next kit!